Stripping Our Antique Door

Earlier this summer I shared a few shots of our closet door on a “barn door” track. The track actually came out of a mechanics building that we purchased and now use as a film and sound studio for my husbands business. I spray painted all the hardware with matte black paint. The door was the original front door to our cottage.

I knew I wanted to tone down the orange. I asked a few of my insta buddies what they would do- and many suggested painting it. I really wanted to try stripping it first {which I had never done before} This is how it looks after using a “Low Voc ECO” Stripping Product. Here is what it looked like untouched- prior to stripping:

The change is not incredibly drastic, but the orange is definitely toned down, and the wood grain is taking centre stage.

Now this wouldn’t be my blog if I didn’t share my experience with stripping. Fact one: It is a MESSY job! I did it outside, because I figured as much-and there was gooey laquer/stripper getting scraped everywhere. The messiest part however was washing that door off- it needs to be washed with water to neutralize the stripping product. I used a bucket with warm water and a sponge, then hosed it down to fully rinse it and let it dry in the sun.

This isn’t a sponsored post- but I used a product called “EZ Strip” from HD. It had me at “Safe, Fume Free, Low VOC” It almost sounded to good to be true- because to be honest, I haven’t had a lot of experience where the ECO version of a products is as good or better then the non Eco counterpart- low flow toilets circa 2008 anyone? It did say it was safe to use around pets and children- I happen to have both.

I have never used any other stripping product but I was happy with this one!

My Tips:

1. Shake well and apply a thick coat of stripper with a brush.
2. Keep an eye on your piece and don’t let it sit too long. I thought- the longer the better- but I was wrong. The stripper got dry and sticky and wasn’t coming off when I scraped it. I initially thought- it’s a crap product. But I applied some more and started scraping off the finish no problem. Because the laquer was so thick I did 2 passes.
3. Use a scraper and steel wool for detailed areas. I was nervous to use the steel wool but it worked like a dream in the detailed and recessed parts of the door.
4. Have something to collect the goo {an empty yogurt container and paper towel works great}, and be sure to put a plastic drop cloth down. As I mentioned, the outdoor workshop is awesome for this project because you can just hose down the piece when finished.

*****     *****     *****

So while the door is getting closer to my original vision, this is what I am trying to get to. Aren’t these doors stunning?

source

I came across this piece via Pinterest by Sherry of the blog  No Minimalist Here

This is definitely the look I am going for! She used liming wax to dull the orange and get those little white details. I haven’t found any wax locally so far- but there is one more stop I need to make before I turn to ordering online.

I know this is just a door, but it truly is a statement piece in our room. I will see how I like it once I’ve used the liming wax- but right now that black track is feeling a little too harsh and industrial in our room. Decisions decisions!

I am trying to focus on pulling our room together. The map came from an old National Geographic magazine and I stuck it up with sticky tac 😉

-Miss Ash